Regional expert-level conference on addressing the digital information disorder, terrorism and violent extremism concluded in Ulaanbaatar

To combat the “digital information disorder”, which refers to misinformation, disinformation, and malign information in the digital realm, the OSCE Transnational Threats Department, together with the National Counter-Terrorism Council of Mongolia (NCTC), organized a regional expert-level conference in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia on 23 and 24 April: “Addressing the Prevailing Digital Information Disorder: Countering the Use of the Internet by Terrorists and Violent Extremists”.

The OSCE and NCTC experts took stock of relevant trends and developments regarding violent extremist and terrorist content online, including misinformation, namely, inaccurate information; disinformation, in other words, deliberately falsified information; and malign information, which refers to information that is stripped from its original context in order to mislead, harm, or manipulate.

Over 70 experts from Central Asian participating States and Mongolia, representing diverse sectors, including government agencies, the media, law enforcement, media regulatory agencies, civil society, academia and tech discussed how these challenges can be effectively addressed in a human rights-based manner.

The conference underscored both risks and opportunities of artificial intelligence in preventing/countering of violent extremism and radicalization that lead to terrorism (P/CVERLT), as well as the importance of media and information literacy, combined with critical thinking and analytical skills as effective ways to counter the digital information disorder. Experts also emphasized the key role of regional co-operation, as well as co-operation between governments, civil society and the private sector to combat violent extremism in the online space.

During his address, Major General Odonbaatar Peljee, Director-General of the National Counter-Terrorism Council of Mongolia highlighted, “Although the era of digital and emerging technology and its rapid development opens up favorable opportunities for the world, the exploitation of this development by terrorist and extremist groups is increasing day by day. This regional conference, organized jointly with the OSCE, aims to address the challenges faced in combating the exploitation of the digital environment by violent extremists. We will explore strategies to overcome these challenges while safeguarding human rights, freedom of expression, and gender equality.”

“This conference serves as a testament to our shared commitment to regional stability and security, highlighting the indispensable role of international partnerships in confronting the complex challenges of our time. The OSCE plays a pivotal role in facilitating such partnerships, leveraging its unique position as a platform for dialogue and co-operation among participating States,” said Ambassador Alena Kupchyna, OSCE Co-ordinator of Activities to Address Transnational Threats, in her opening remarks.

Dexter Ingram, Director of the Office of Countering Violent Extremism at the US Department of State, underlined “As terrorists become more sophisticated online, it is more important than ever to increase information sharing and collaboration among governments, civil society organizations, and the private sector, including technology companies. The United States is fully committed to further strengthening our efforts and working with our partners in the international community to effectively address the use of the internet and emerging technologies such as AI for violent extremist and terrorist purposes, while promoting respect for human rights such as freedom of expression.”

At a side event, organized during the conference, participants also shared perspectives on how to approach online violent misogyny in the context of preventing violent extremism in an inclusive and human rights-based manner.

One of the sessions of the conference was a civil society roundtable that was dedicated to discussing the role civil society can play in addressing the online information disorder, such as digital literacy initiatives.

In co-ordination with the OSCE field operations in Central Asia, the Office of the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media and the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, the conference was organized in the framework of the project “INFORMED: Information and Media Literacy in Preventing Violent Extremism. Human rights and Gender-sensitive approaches to addressing the Digital Information Disorder”, funded by the United States.